ANKA Medium Altitude Long Endurance UAV System provides the Turkish Army with a long-endurance and persistent ISR capability. (Turkish Aerospace Industries)

Related Links

ANKARA — The cause of the Dec. 6 crash in southeastern Turkey of an Anka UAV  the first unmanned aircraft designed and built in the country  remains under investigation, military officials here said.

The UAV went down during a day flight , the officials said. The Anka has been undergoing operational test flights at a military base in Batman, southeastern Turkey.

In a written statement, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), maker of the Anka, said that a technical investigation into the crash was progressing, with no results so far. In 2012, the Anka made two crash landings during flight tests.

Last month, the Turkish government ordered an initial batch of 10 Ankas and their ground stations from TAI. Under the deal, the first serial production deliveries will take place between 2016 and 2018.

Turkey has also decided to add satellite communications capabilities to the Anka, and has said the UAVs design would evolve over time after consultations with the Air Force about what modification or additions might be needed.

The Anka passed acceptance tests late in January. The final, decisive tests on Jan. 20-21 involved a full-endurance, 18-hour flight, successful auto landing, data-link performance at a distance of 200 kilometers under winds up to 45 knots, and night takeoffs and landings. The Anka has completed more than 150 flight hours.

The Anka is a medium-altitude, long-endurance drone. Such UAVs usually can operate for 24 hours at an altitude of 10,000 feet.